Easy meal prep on a student budget

With busy schedules in can be tricky to find time to eat let alone cook a meal. Here are some ideas for easy meals and how you can do it on a limited budget.

Where:

Buying food can get expensive so it is worth looking at your local groceries stores to source the best prices. T&T, No frills and smaller produce stores can be a great place to start.

Never underestimate deals and coupons as well! Alternatively, you can pitch in with friends to buy things in Bulk at Costco.

Why:

Prepping meals can make all the difference. This is something you can do on the weekend and it will save you lots of time and money during the week.

Staying organized will help you plan the week ahead so you can focus on school or work. This will also allow you to plan to have leftovers which you can take for lunch the next day.

How:

Shopping:

First make a list of the groceries that you need and stick to it. It will help if you have a meal plan in place. Don’t fall into the temptations of the baked goods! Always look for no name brands or

discounted items as they often taste the same. You can also look at the unit prices to compare the cost of items. It is usually found as price per 100 grams or milliliters under the item cost.

Avoid buying package foods as they tend to be more expensive and unhealthy. Also do not shop on an empty stomach to avoid buying unnecessary items.

Prepping:

When prepping food for the week , be consistent and know how many meals you need to prep. Add it into your routine, whether that is prepping the whole week on Sunday evening or splitting it into two days a week.

Start with just a few meals because if you try to do the whole week at first it may be overwhelming and likely put you off doing it again.

If doing whole meals ahead of time you can just clean and cut-up vegetables so they are ready to go snacks or you can add them to a meal. Portioning out snacks can be great as well so you can just grab them and go in the mornings.

Another time saving idea is to marinate and cook your chosen meat and then freeze it for the week.